Love affects everything
by D-Jumper
Summary: Akane's insults have never left Ranma unfazed, but this is past fazed. Akane soon finds herself following one extremely depressed Ranma throughout- well, everywhere! And tries to piece other events together as she does so. COMPLETE Ch7 Up! Pre. replaced.
1. The Chase

"**Goodbye… Akane."**

**Yo! D-Jumper here, and this is a story that I'm dying ta' finish. Enjoy!**

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**Disclaimer: Y'know, if I really owned Ranma½, Do you really think that it'd be a FanFiction? 'Cause I may own a bottle of "Make your own cursed spring", but I don't own this. Don't sue for this disclaimer. I have no money, 'cause I wasted it on cookies… Stupid me! I do, however, own Takeshi (A name I tend to go by), Meta, Mecha and Techno.**

**Summary: Ranma's never really been unfazed by Akane's insults, but this is past fazed. Suddenly Akane finds herself chasing after an extremely depressed Ranma, and trying to solve this mess while doing so. RAxAK**

**Warning: may be OOC. RanmaxAkane, my favorite Ranma½ pairing. You have no idea how long I've wanted to write this, and I'm throwing in my own character for fun.**

"**Poofy." Speech.**

**-Mmm… Takeout…- Chinese**

'**Blaaah.' Thoughts.**

**[This is getting old very quickly]. Chinese thoughts.**

**[Insert long line here]**

**Nerima. Y'know, that's the one place that would get lots o' tourists… if they weren't gonna get sued for the inevitable hospitalizations that would occur. But that's not why we're here. We're here to watch these two chaos magnets. guess who? 3 guesses.

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In the streets-

A familiar pig-tailed martial artist was walking on a fence, with an okonomiyaki in his mouth-whoops, not anymore. Ranma was carrying a bag with rustling contents. '_I guess that I should at least try to ask her ta marry me, even if it is sudden… but first, I have some terrorist fiancées' ta take care of…_' He thought, before…

"Sweet-o!" Happosai splashed Ranma and latched onto the aquatransexual's chest, oblivious to the look of absolute rage on his-errm… her face. "Ranma M'boy, How nice of you to wait for your master!"

"Old freak…" she said coldly, gripping tightly onto the dripping portable polystyrene container (bag). '_Oh, now that's reeeal nice. Why is it that I can never have a moment of peace?_' She thought. "Hmm?" the artifact mused. "Oh Ranma you shouldn't have!" He said, dropping down and looking at the baggy. "How nice of you to buy me panties! Now gimme!"

"Oh no you do-" She couldn't finish as Happosai snatched up the bag. Naturally Ranma (being Ranma,) chased. "Hooraa! Ranma's finally coming around to be like his master!" He said sweetly as the chase ensued. "I ain't EVER gonna be like YOU, old freak!" Ranma yelled at the diminutive nuisance.

As the chase took them over the canals, Ranma caught the old man as he stopped and took something out of the bag. Unfortunately this made Happosai drop what he was holding… which was a beautiful Amethyst-Purple-colored silk dress, with a Golden flower pattern. Straight into the canals. The dirty canals. The canals of no return. The canals of- YOU GET THE PICTURE!

'_No, No, NO! That was one o' my gifts, and probably the most important one too!_ ' "Old freak." She said in an unnervingly stoic manner. "Do ya realize what you've just done?" Ranma was suddenly uncertain of her ability to keep her rage at bay, as it started to fill her voice. "No, I don't. But for disobeying your master, you will be punished!" He said quickly, taking the only other thing left in the bag.

All the color left Ranma's face when she saw the wrapped object. '_No, I can't let him destroy my chances of recovering Akane!_'' "Old freak, give it back. NOW." She said it in a tone that meant 'Do it or you will die.' accompanied by a look that said **'****I MEAN IT.****'** Happosai shrugged it off and taunted. "KYAHAHAHA! Why is it so important to you Ranma?"

"None o' your business why it's important!" She said angrily (and cautiously). "Then come and get it! Kyeheheh…" He said, jumping towards the Tendo household. '_If I don't get that back, then I'm gonna be in deeper water than the Saotome Foot-In-Mouth disease could ever get me in!'_ "Grr… I'M GONNA GET YOU, OLD FREAK!" she yelled in frustration as she chased after him. Fury was ablaze in Ranma's Steel-Blue eyes.

In the Nekohanten-

Shampoo was working in the kitchen with a disturbing smile on her face._ [Now when Ranma hears Akane say "I hate you" to him, he will realize that he hates her! And when he does, he will never be able to be in the same room as her, let alone under the same roof! And then he'll be mine, all mine! We'll have the strongest…]. _She thought in glee, for she had somehow managed to spike Ranma's okonomiyaki with an Amazon potion… unknown to her, the potion's actual effect was graphed only in the ancient texts. Also unknown to her, the noodles were burnt, and her hair was on fire.

|Location unknown|-

There was a breeze on the top of the lone hill, making the leaves on the tree rustle. From there, you could see a quiet town. "Heh heh, I never tire of their antics." said a figure with a chuckle. It seemed to be watching something projecting from his chest. "_I find it wrong to chuckle at the misfortune of others, Takeshi." _Strangely enough, the noise seemed to be coming from Takeshi's right arm. _**"Hunh? But it's funny, right D-Kun?" **_Chimed his left hand.

"Yeah." He responded. Something popped up in front of Takeshi and said **"What is wrong with you? Go get her!"** It said. "What's wrong with YOU? In case ya' didn't notice, that girl is in love with Mr. "I'm the incarnation of pure chaos!" over there. Vice versa also applies to this situation. The only problem is their uncertainty-and stop making comments on how I'm "Omniscient". Pervert." Takeshi said angrily, much to the discomfort of… whatever it is. **"He can't be a guy, I tell ya'…"** It grumbled, before returning to God-Knows-Where.

Takeshi returned to watching Ranma and Akane, an interested expression on his face. Suddenly, his eyes widened and a shocked expression took it's place. "Oh Man," he blurted out "Shampoo didn't… Crud!" He realized what had happened. Takeshi forced himself to settle down and watch. "I will not go unless I have to, I will not go unless I have to, I will not…" He chanted to himself, a grim expression finalizing on his face.

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So… How did ya' like it? Will update, don't worry… although it might take a while. Reviewing will help, while flames will not… but as this is my first fanfiction, anything'll do, I guess… _"I Agree." __**"Me too!" **_ **"HELL NO!"** Oh for the love of… couldn't you keep quiet for one more minute? **_"No."_** …We'll talk later. Oh- and Mecha uses D-Kun as a nickname for Takeshi.


	2. Ranma just overreacted right?

"**Goodbye… Akane."**

**Chapter 2: He just overreacted…right?**

This is fun. Yup, I'm back! Didja miss me? Yeah, me neither. D-Jumper out. Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Yes! I own Ranma½! Woohoo!… huh? What's a crab doin' in the middle o'-OOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!...Aw, Man, I fell asleep at the beach… Dang. Guess it was only a dream.

P.S.-I'M NOT A MARY-SUE!

Summary: Ranma's never really been unfazed by Akane's insults, but this is past fazed. Suddenly Akane finds herself chasing after an extremely depressed Ranma, and trying to solve this mess while doing so. RAxAK

Warning: may be OOC. Ranma and Akane, my favorite Ranma½ pairing. You have no idea how long I've wanted to write this, and I'm throwing in my own character for fun… also, I just realized that it would be very hard otherwise.

"Err…blue?" Speech.

-Mmm… Takeout-HEY! These noodles are burnt! - Chinese

'Blaaah.' Thoughts.

[This is getting old very quickly]. Chinese thoughts.

[Insert long line here]

Tendo Residence-

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"Give that back right now!" If looks could kill, then Happosai will still be alive, as Ryoga would've already gotten to Ranma. "Any reason why? Maybe if you model my lingerie for me-" The withered pervert was cut off by a ki attack from Ranma. "NO WAY, OLD FREAK!" yelled an infuriated Ranma, while desperately trying to avoid damaging anything._ 'Dangit! I had to get mom to give me the money for that gift! I still have to pay ¥430,550…' _He-err, She shook her head and continued chasing Happosai everywhere.

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Tendo Residence, Kitchen-

'_I really hope that these turn out well!'_ thought Akane, as she added some "sugar" to the cookies she was making- then remembering Kasumi's advice to look at what she was using, she looked to find that it was, in fact, sugar. '_Whew…'_Akane felt relieved at the fact that she had not picked up salt instead of sugar again.

As she was about to pop them into the oven, Happosai hopped over her, cackling all the way. Ranma, in hot pursuit, didn't notice the kettle that Happosai left on the floor to literally trip **(A.N. I'm callin' Ranma a "he" from now on.)** him up. He tripped on it, fell on top of Akane, turned back into a boy, and crushed her cookies in one fell swoop. Ranma immediately started to apologize, for four hours of trying to make cookies.

"A-Akane…Your… cookies…I-I'm sorry-" Ranma was cut off by a soft, yet cold retort from Akane. "I worked so hard on those… why didn't you watch where you were going?" "A-Akane, I-" "You what? Couldn't see me?" "Akane, n-no, it's not-" "You could have just jumped over it!" "B-But-" Ranma seemed on the verge of tears as Akane's anger reached the boiling point.

Akane'd worked for two days straight on those cookies. "Ranma Saotome, I hate you!" She said in her rage, with a voice in her head shouting otherwise. Normally Ranma too, would have exploded, but this time something felt… different. _I hate you! I hate you! I hate…_ the words echoed over and over in his mind.

"A-A-Akane…" Ranma chokingly whispered, "Do you… really hate me?" Akane missed the desperate tone in his voice and, thinking that Ranma was trying to ridicule her, retorted, "Yes, now leave." As soon as she'd said those words, she wished she could take them back, as they left her feeling empty inside.

"Okay, A-Akane… I-I guess that I've b-been nothing but t-trouble for you ever since the day that I a-arrived. I'm… s-sorry." His voice came out a deathly whisper as he quickly jumped out the window, dropping an unnoticed little black box. Akane suddenly felt extremely pale, as she realized that she shouldn't have said that. Kasumi came walking into the room to find out what happened, to see Akane pale and teary on the floor. "Oh, my! Akane, what happened?" Kasumi looked around the room to find that everything was intact, save for a kettle, tray and cookie batter. "R-Ranma...h-he looked so..." Akane paused for a moment to find the right words. "E-Empty, w-when I e-exploded...so d-dead inside... I-It was so..." Akane's voice was extremely jerky and small, so Kasumi had to sit down and ask her to slow down a bit. When Akane had finished explaining, Kasumi took them to Dr. Tofu.**(A.N.- Now THAT was a very smart move, Kasumi! You win a cookie!)** Akane had seen- but not paid much attention to- the little black marking on Ranma's forehead that appeared when she said "I hate you."

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|Location Still Unknown|-

Takeshi stopped chanting as soon as he saw the most recent chain of events. "Now I need to get involved, 'cause there is no way that they'll figure out what happened in time!" he quickly gathered his bearings and his sword*, an d created a portal to the Tendo's house- which he then proceeded to pass through. _'I hope that they have cheese in Nerima.' _Was his last thought before going through the portal. Unfortunately, It'll take him a whole 20 hours to get there. Somebody break out the computer, 'cause I have a feeling that this is gonna be a looong day.

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*Doubles as a zanpakutő.

'Kay, hope ya' got the gist of it now. This chapter was sorta slapdash, though…I edited it, so it's a lot different then when it originally came out. Ya gotta sympathize with Akane, I mean look at that- Perfect cookies- Ruined. Normally, that stuff tastes like morning breath. Bleh. Please review! I'm lonely... **"Drink shom beer! Ish makesh ya feeel bettsers!*Hic*"** Meta counts as -1. Someone sedate him, please?

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I will post story status on my userpage... hopefully...


	3. Love Really Does Affect Everything!

"**Goodbye… Akane."**

**Chapter 3: Love really does affect everything(hence the title)**

This is delicious! Yup, I'm Back… Nah, I'm D-Jumper. Didja miss me? Yeah, you n' me both. D-Jumper out! Enjoy! I will be enjoying my cheese in the lost woods. WHEEE! WHEEEEE!-L OF CHEESE! Yum.

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Disclaimer: Errm… uh… I don't own Ranma¼… wait, what? Scratch that, Ranma½. Much better.

P.S.-I'M NOT ON AN ACID TRIP!

Summary: Ranma's never really been unfazed by Akane's insults, but this is past fazed. Suddenly Akane finds herself chasing after an extremely depressed Ranma, and trying to solve this mess while doing so. RAxAK

Reviews- **Carnath**- Y'know, I hate to admit it, but you're kinda right. I'll try to make it longer. I needed that!... I think.

**jdcocoagirl-** Thank you! I don't see Akane as the type to be freaked out so easily, so I had to find a way to get around it.

**James Birdsong**- Thank you! I try.

Warning: may be OOC. Ranma and Akane, my favorite Ranma½ pairing. You have no idea how long I've wanted to write this, and I'm throwing in my own character for fun… also, I just realized that it would be very hard otherwise.

"Err…did everything just taste purple for a sec? Oh, wait, that's just Shampoo's hair. Wait… GAH! HAIR!" Speech.

-Mmm… Rhubarb on fire… wait, FIRE? GAH! I THINK THE UNIVERSE HAS SOMETHIN' AGAINST ME!- Chinese

'…I want Mozzarella, not Cheddar.' Thoughts.

[K, I'm tired of hearing myself think. Stop. SHUT UP, THOUGHTS!] Chinese thoughts.

[Insert long line here]

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In the Streets-

Akane's silence was worrying Kasumi to no ends. '_Akane, you do not seem to be as "fine" as you told me you'd be. I do hope you're okay…'_ Akane figured that her silence was probably worrying Kasumi by now, and Tofu's was still 5 minutes away, so she decided that a conversation would be a good way to pass the time.

Before getting around to that, however, a flash of red came out of nowhere. Akane was startled, but not scared. Ok, yeah, she was… but only a bit. "Kasumi, what was that!?" Akane said… in, err, a sort-of loud tone. _'I'm sure that I've seen a similar flash somewhere before...'_Strangely enough, they managed to think that in unison. Akane gave up on a response from Kasumi when they reached Dr. Tofu's clinic.

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Dr. Tofu's Clinic-

The little bell tinkled as they entered. I like the Bell. When Tofu saw Akane, his first reaction was to greet her. When Tofu saw Kasumi, his first reaction was to greet Betty. The skeleton.

As Akane and Kasumi explained the situation, Tofu became more and more focused- and more and more worried. By the time that Akane and Kasumi finished explaining, Tofu was whiter than… well, Tofu. **(A.N.-Yeeeah… sorry, couldn't help the pun. But that's not the worst that you'll be hearing. Listen, I'm really sorry.)**

"C-Could it be- No, no, t-there's no way…" …He SOUNDED white too. **(A.N.-Not in the racist way, Dangit!) **Tofu walked- Ok, stumbled- over to his mini-library and searched for a while, leaving Akane and Kasumi boggled as to what he was looking for. "Okay, l-let's see…" As Tofu read, clearly still startled, he stopped and looked at Akane.

"Akane, did Ranma have a sort-of blackish mark on his forehead?" Whatever colour had returned to his face as he asked this quickly drained out at her response. "Yeah, w-why do you ask?" Tofu was speechless for a moment. "Akane… Ranma must have eaten something spiked with a potion." Akane felt worried at this.

"Should he hear someone he hates say 'I hate you', anytime that person is near him, Ranma will bring pain." Akane felt concern at this. "Should he hear someone with whom he is neutral say 'I hate you', he will simply ignore that person." Relief. A leaf.

"Should he hear someone he likes say 'I hate you', he will feel sadness everytime that person is near him" Akane felt a strong sense of sympathy hit her. '_This is… just… torture… Ranma, are you gonna be OK?" _Tofu continued.

"In order, the colour of the marking would be- in the order that I said them: Purple, Green, and Blue." Akane felt confused, as there was no mention of a black marking. "However," He stated, "Should the one person he loves say "I hate you", a black marking will appear on his forehead, and he will become severely depressed and hateful… of himself."

Akane felt sick at this, not paying much attention to the "one person he loves" part."After ten days," Tofu continued, "Ranma will… kill himself, unless assured that the person he loves does not hate him." Akane felt like throwing up now, feeling quite thoroughly disgusted with herself.

'_Why didn't I listen? Why didn't I wait until he explained? Oh, Ranma! Please come back! I'm sorry!'_ Akane had started crying, and Kasumi took that as a sign that they needed to leave. "Thank you, Dr. Tofu, we will be leaving now. Bye!" They left the clinic.

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[…I'm gonna give up on finding out where this is now.]-

"C'mon, C'mon, we've gotta hurry!" Takeshi had spent 7 hours in there so far, and was now thoroughly bored… and hungry. _**"We can play 3 musketeers!"**_ Takeshi went white in terror- last time they'd played 3 musketeers, they used real swords instead of the duds... thanks again, to Meta. "N-no thanks, I'll b-be fine." and continued his wait, still as bored as he was 1 minute ago.

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Yup! Chapter up! Review or I will send Meta to your- on second thought, I'm not that cruel. Please Review! Also, Story intros can now be found on another story of mine- Please check it out!


	4. Dawn of the 1st day, 216 hours remain,

"**Goodbye… Akane."**

**Chapter 4: Dawn of the 1****st**** day.**

**216 Hours remain.**

This is strange. Yup, I'm Back… Nah, I'm D-Jumper. Didja miss me? Yeah, you wish I did. D-Jumper out! Enjoy! I will be enjoying my Shrimp in Clock Town. Hey! Dangit, Link, gimme back my "Funny Face" mask! Arrgh! Get back here...

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Disclaimer: Errm… uh… Check back with me later, I got nothing funny right now… I don't own Ranma½. Or Termina. Or Link. Yeah.

P.S.-I'M NOT ON HIGH ON APPLES! Wait… What?

Summary: Ranma's never really been unfazed by Akane's insults, but this is past fazed. Suddenly Akane finds herself chasing after an extremely depressed Ranma, and trying to solve this mess while doing so. RAxAK

Warning: may be OOC. Ranma and Akane, my favorite Ranma½ pairing. You have no idea how long I've wanted to write this, and I'm throwing in my own character for fun… also, I just realized that it would be very hard otherwise.

"Err…there is a cake on the ground with rhubarb-shaped ash, and fish-shaped candies. GLaDOS, please pick up after yourself, 'cause L will eat it, no matter what hell-in-a-pastry you put in there." Speech.

-Mmm… LCL-filled Mozzarella-Wait a moment… This is Parmesan! - Chinese

'…I want Jumbo breaded torpedo shrimp, not small breaded.' Thoughts.

[K, I'm tired of hearing other people's thoughts in my head- Ugh… M-Meta… You… Are… S-Such… A… P-PERVERT! DIE!] Chinese thoughts.

[Insert long line here]

Chapter Summary- K, so Takeshi makes it to the Tendo's- at 4:00 A.M. Still, there's no time to waste, as they only have 09:04:00:21 left until Ranma "Bye-bye."'s himself. Shampoo finds out about this- and doesn't take the fact that Ranma loves Akane well. The real journey begins…

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Tendo Residence-

"N-No, R-Ranma, don't do it! I-I'm sor-sorry!" Akane was mumbling tearily, choking on her words. Akane was asleep, having a nightmare about Ranma on the 10**th** day. (Ranma, Suicide- Ring a bell?) "No! R-Ranma- I don't h-hate you!" Akane was sweating now, as her nightmare was taking turns for the worse.

"…B-be your… s-second?! No! Ranma, p-please, I don't want you to die!" Akane was sweating profusely now, as well as shifting slowly- her tears were soaking the pillow a bit. Poor Akane. "...No! Y-your mom d-doesn't hate you! She d-didn't make the Seppuku c-contract to have an excuse t-to kill you- Nobody's that c-cruel!"

The futon was kinda wet from the sweat and tears, and her shifting had turned into tossing and turning. **(A.N.-I'm gonna make a voodoo doll of Shampoo and torture it now. Without mercy.)

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**Akane's dream-**

_Ranma was standing on a cliff overlooking Nerima, Tantő in hand. "Akane, p-please stop lying to me. I'm n-not worth it…" with that said, he turned around and prepared to jump off the cliff. In protest, Akane attempted to convince him otherwise. "R-Ranma, what about J-Jusendo? W-what about the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion?"_

_At this point, Ranma whirled around to face Akane, and on meeting his eyes, Akane saw a truly lost and tortured soul, leaving her speechless. "What about all the times you malleted me, kicked me, slapped me and called me a pervert, or a dummy, or a jerk? Do you really think that those didn't hurt me?" Ranma hung his head and chokingly continued. "I t-took all of th-that to heart, A-Akane!"_

_Akane weakly objected, feeling very guilty. "R-Ranma, I didn't m-mean-" Akane was cut off by Ranma, who yet again faced the edge of the cliff. "Y-You never even let me t-try to explain, A-Akane. I would always t-take your hits in h-hope that you might actually listen t-to me- but you never d-did." Akane realized that everything that Ranma said was true, and suddenly that extreme sense of disgust overtook her again- only stronger._

_Ranma took Akane's silence as acceptance, and walked off the edge of the cliff- with the Tantő pointed at his chest. Akane watched- speechless, shaken and empty inside. "Ranma! No! Please! I need you! I-I… I Love you!" As Ranma approached the ground, Akane yelled that out- And woke up.

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Tendo residence-

Takeshi was finally there. Checking his special watch, he saw that it was 4:00A.M. "Ah, crud. Just what I needed- more waiting." Takeshi mumbled. Takeshi quickly gathered his bearings- and made his way to Akane's room. "…There's nobody here." Takeshi responded to the empty room.

Akane had slept in Ranma's room for comfort. "Ah, there she is." Takeshi walked over to Akane, to see her mumbling and sweating. (She kinda ran out of tears.) Takeshi shook her gently. Then harder. Then roughly. As he was about to pour water on her- Akane stirred. Takeshi sent the bucket into hammerspace and waited a bit.

Akane shot up straight, panting and shaking. She barely took notice of the fact that the futon was soaked, as a voice spoke. "That musta been a reeally bad nightmare, Akane." Akane quickly stood up and looked around, searching for the owner of the voice. "Who are you- some kind of stalker? And h-how do you know my name?"

"I'm Takeshi, and It'll be a cold day in hell before I'm a stalker." Akane was very distrustful of him- before he continued. "9 days until Ranma does himself in… We've got 4 hours before we hafta go- Oh, wait, I still haven't explained why I'm here. I'm here to help ya stop Ranma from killing himself in ten- or nine, as of now- days." Akane wondered momentarily if it was all a dream.

The hunger pangs made Akane dismiss that idea very quickly. Takeshi's stomach was fed up with the lack of food and took it out on him, and it hurt. "Uh… do you have any shrimp, ice cream, or cheese?" Akane gave the question little thought as they started downstairs to the living room. "Yes, Yes, and yes, in that order." Takeshi felt relief at the fact that they did, in fact, have cheese in Nerima.

"Ya know…" Takeshi started as he took out a chunk of cheese. "Ranma really does love you." Takeshi's words made Akane spit out her tea with a vengeance, and Takeshi's immediately dismissed the denial that was sure to come, saying that denial is futile. "Well… I guess that I love him… but he- he c-couldn't possibly love me b-back… n-not after everything that I've d-done to him…" Akane felt despair at her own words, contrary to Takeshi.

"Like hell he doesn't. I've been watchin' you two. He loves you, for sure. The Golden Pair. The Lifetime Pill. Jusendo- He even confessed to you there! All of these are examples of Ranma's love for you, and like hell am I gonna let him die on you." Akane's mind went back to each of those events, to find that Takeshi was right- Especially about Jusendo.

"Well, No point in waiting. Let's-" Akane was quickly cut off by the loud explosion coming from the now-ruined wall right behind her, with a cry of "No! Not true! Ranma Shampoo airen! Ranma love only Shampoo!" Akane felt an intense rage pass through her- then an intense fit of laughter from looking at Shampoo's Half-Burnt hair. **(A.N.- Yeah, I bet that you thought I'd forget all about burning Shampoo's hair right? No denials!)

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5 minutes ago, near the soon-to-be broken wall-

[My great-grandmother never listens to a word I say- I KNOW that I wasn't distracted while cooking those noodles, dangit!] Thinking fluently in Chinese, yet speaking backward Japanese, Shampoo rode up to the wall, ready to break through it. However, the conversation inside stopped her, as Shampoo became curious.

"…love you." Spitting noises were heard from inside, making Shampoo hope that Akane was choking. "Well…I love him…love me b-back…everything that I've d-done…" Shampoo felt a fury at the pieces that she heard, and kept listening to see if anything should be done about Akane. "…he does…been watchin' you… He loves you, for sure…olden Pair, The Lifetime… He…confessed to you there...Ranma's love for you…"

[Akane is luring my airen into a trap! She must have already said the magic words to him, and is trying to make him fall in love with her! It'll never work… but… Better to be safe than sorry! And as for Ranma "Loving" Akane…] We all know what happened then.

Back to the present, Tendo's residence-

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Shampoo took out her beach-ball-ish maces and prepared to mash Akane to the ground- but 2 things were wrong with that equation. A- Akane is much faster and stronger then the amateur martial artist that she perceives her to be, so Akane ran out of the way, and B- Takeshi had taken out his sword and parried. As Takeshi parried, a strong blue-ish light filled the room and many small blackish sparks. For a second. **(A.N.-I'm gonna use that for a different story, someday.)**

Shampoo got stunned by the light and fell over, not yet defeated. "Oh, man, that was a close one." Takeshi sheathed his sword quickly, looking over at Akane. "I almost forgot that if I win, there's a chance that I'll become another one of Shampoo's "Admired" husbands. Bleh, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth." And with that statement, Takeshi took another bite of his cheese.

The momentary peace was quickly broken by a knock at the door. "If it's not one thing, it's another… No relaxation for me, I guess." Takeshi mumbled as Akane went to the door. Takeshi was there as backup. Upon opening the door, however, they looked on in shock. Akane found her voice first, and the first thing she said was, "M-Mother Saotome…"

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Word Count for **Carnath**- 311/200- I win this one. I stopped counting at 311.

Where it said, -"…love you." Spitting noises were heard from inside, making Shampoo hope that Akane was choking.- I originally had an authors note, and it's right here. **(A.N.-Yeah, I'll show you choking- GET OVER HERE!)**

**D-Jumper out. Please review. Anonymous reviews enabled, just so you know.**

**Also, There is now a poll on my profile page concerning the length of the stories. Vote soon!  
**


	5. 1st day, Part 1, 213 Hours Remain,

"**Goodbye… Akane."**

**Chapter 5: 1****st**** day Part 1**

**213 Hours remain.**

Ok, I know that it seems like I'm stalling. And you could be right. But- HEY! I'm tryin' my best here, So please be patient. D-Jumper out… Nah, I'm just down. Down but not out. HA! Review this story please.

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Disclaimer: Errm… I don't own Ranma½, 'cause if I did, It wouldn't have sold past Manga vol. 2, Believe me. I would have sucked at keeping everything in check.

P.S.-I'M NOT DRUNK ON NACHO CHEESE DIP! Wait… I don't think that's even possible.

Summary: Ranma's never really been unfazed by Akane's insults, but this is past fazed. Suddenly Akane finds herself chasing after an extremely depressed Ranma, and trying to fix this mess while doing so. RAxAK

Warning: may be OOC. Ranma and Akane, my favorite Ranma½ pairing. You have no idea how long I've wanted to write this, and I'm throwing in my own character for fun… also, I just realized that it would be very hard otherwise.

"Meta talks too freakin' much." Speech. CATCH THE CENSORED REFERENCE FOR CAKE WITH STRAWBERRIES!

-Mmm… Shrimp- BLEGH! Urgh, the bread is so dang bland!- Chinese

'…I want a change, and I want change for $1.27.' Thoughts.

[K, I'm tired of Mecha shoving cotton candy into my face. Delicious, but annoying.] Chinese thoughts.

[Insert long line here]

Chapter Summary- K, so Nodoka is dealt with, and then they go on their search for Ranma… disaster and chaos do, in fact, follow him around wherever he goes- as proved by this chapter.

* * *

Tendo Residence-

At the time, it was 7:01 A.M, and Kasumi had come down to begin making breakfast for the members of the household, to find (At least in her point of view) an unusual person standing behind an unsuspecting Akane, who was looking at Mother Saotome. "Akane, please be careful. There is a strange man behind you." Not realizing that Kasumi meant Takeshi, who was still speechless, she turned around and punched him in the face.

"Yeah, see- this is why the terminology/phrase "Look before you act," was invented. Also- DO I LOOK STRANGE TO YOU?! I don't have three eyes, or two faces do I? Oh, wait, lemme check… No I do not! I would love to know exactly why you punched me in the face, though." Takeshi didn't exactly hear Kasumi (All he heard was the "Strange man" part) and thus, was confused as to why he was "Randomly" punched in the face. Akane immediately apologized and explained Kasumi's warning.

Apparently, Nodoka Saotome really doesn't like being ignored. "Akane, err… Have you seen Ranma lately? He came to my house for some reason and said that Genma wanted to throw him- err, roll him, I'm not sure which- off Mt. Fuji. He took the family blade as protection while I go straighten out my lazy coward of a husband. May I go in and see my future panda-skin rug now? Shock reigned supreme for a moment- as that actually sounded like something that Genma would do.

Still, it was a lie. "Ranma was lying, Mrs. Saotome. Still, I can't blame you for believing it, 'cause I think that Genma actually WOULD do that if he gets the idea." The explanation was given by Takeshi, which made him get noticed once more. "Ah, yes, that's right! Excuse me but- Who exactly are you?" Great minds think alike, they say. They talk in unison too, Nodoka and Kasumi. "My name is Takeshi, and I -as you may have noticed- wear my armour all the time- or at least some form of it."

They had, in fact, noticed the armour- actually there wasn't much at all to look at. A small circle on his chest with a diameter of 1.5cm, a pad on his right shoulder, a glove on his left hand, and two ankle bracelets that pointed up at the front, becoming a sharp tip at the top. "I only unlock and use them in battle. Although helping me fight hunger might also be nice." An awkward silence passed. "I'm gonna go eat my ice cream now, 'cause this situation is very awkward." And with that, Takeshi went back to the kitchen.

A cry of "There's no chocolate chip cookie dough!" rang through the air- and Nodoka continued speaking to Akane. "I believe that there is, in fact, a reason for Ranma needing to lie to me?" Akane hesitated to tell Nodoka, as she might take it the wrong way. _'W-would Mother Saotome think that Ranma wasn't as "Manly," as she thought he was? I mean, she might think that Ranma is a coward for running when I said…'_ Akane felt a gloom fall over her upon remembering her words to Ranma.

'_Or sh-she might think that I should never see him again for blowing up like that… see him again…will I?' _Nodoka looked on at the ever-worsening Akane, and said something that really helped Akane. "If you're hesitating over the Seppuku contract, I will disregard it- I am satisfied with the son I have, knowing that he isn't a cross-dresser, or one to cheat on his fiancée. Please tell me!" Nodoka was starting to panic, and sat down as soon as she finished speaking.

"Ok. Ranma apparently ate something spiked with a potion that made him react to the words "I hate you," based on his feelings toward that person. I'm afraid that I… sort of… blew up in his face. Now Ranma is- according to Dr. Tofu- Suicidal." Nodoka needed a moment to let the information sink in. One she did not get. "We have to go- Now! We're out of relaxation time- C'mon!" Takeshi was in a state of panic- they were already pushing the time limit as it was.

"Ah, and why are you here, anyways?" Unity is hard to achieve for people other than Nodoka and Kasumi. "No time, we got to go- I'll explain on the way!"

With that said, Takeshi pulled Akane out of the household with one hand and finished off his cheese with the other. Nodoka and Kasumi were slightly stunned by the sudden-ness of the situation, but recovered quickly and ran towards them.

In the streets-

* * *

"I'm here to prevent Ranma from biting the big banana, and to resolve other problems, should any appear." Takeshi explained, running faster than a certain red horse from a different universe. "And the reason for wanting to help us out is…?" At the same time, Akane was thinking: _'Wow. Takeshi really likes to make food references.'_

Takeshi paused for a moment, still in autorun mode. "Call it a personal hobby of mine, Kasumi. By the way- Hang on!" Takeshi grabbed everyone and leaped towards a cloud of smoke coming from a town in front of them. _'Takeshi, are you insane?! You'll suffocate us!'_

"_No need to worry. Takeshi has it under control." _Momentarily pondering if she was insane, Akane responded to the voice. "Who are you?"

"His nickname is Techno." Takeshi responded, still heading towards the black cloud of doom. "He's a lot more thought-out with situations than I- Hey, we're here. This is the type of thing I meant by "Problems," just so ya know." Problematic was not the first word that came to mind, looking at the town (Crater) and the buildings (Ruins) and the surrounding area (Ashes) and the people. (Walking Roadkill) Annihilated and Apocalyptic would be more accurate.

"Oh my…" Kasumi stood there, staring at the results of a localized Armageddon.

"Oh, Oh, Hang on! I got just the thing for this!" Takeshi took out a gourd-ish yet not gourd-ish at all looking instrument and played about thirteen notes before putting it away. A few seconds later, it started pouring out of nowhere.

"Thank you Saria…" Takeshi muttered as he searched about the ruins, just in case. "This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: HELP ME OUT. No, seriously, there's someone trapped under this… this… Man, it's so screwed up that I can't tell what it is that I'm moving. Ha." Lifting over the whatsit, Takeshi waited for the dust to settle.

As the dust settled, Akane, Kasumi and Nodoka came over, ready to help- to see Ryoga coughing a bit. "A-Akane? Is that really you? And… who is he? Akane, get behind-"

"Shut the freakin' hell up, perverted pig-boy." Takeshi bopped Ryoga on the head- hard. "Takeshi…" Akane glared a bit at Takeshi- before remembering that Takeshi had a reason for everything, based on his actions. "And what, exactly, did Ryoga do to deserve that title?"

"…I'll tell you later. I'll probably have to start digging a grave for Pig-boy if I tell you now." Taking him at his word, Akane asked Ryoga what happened- And felt again sympathy and remorse at the end of said explanation. "It was Ranma… He saw me training-"

"Running towards him, umbrella in hand-" Takeshi cut in,

"And then he used my Shi-Shi Hokodan against me without warning!"

Once more cutting in, "Yeah, well you're one to talk, hypocrite. You jump him without warning all the time, yelling "Ranma, prepare to die!" Takeshi had the face of one chastising… well, Ryoga. Ryoga, however, looked more steamed than… than… I don't know any steamed dishes, so I can't really compare. "Speakin' o' which, you probably jumped him, yelling about how he made your life a living hell, and you thought he was ignoring you and started yelling about how much you hate him for "Torturing" Akane. Am I right?"

Ryoga stood speechless, as that really was what happened. "Ok, judging from the look on your face- We gotta run now. Hang on." A video-ish thing like those at the theatres started playing from the circle-shaped armor that was mentioned earlier. "Hmm… I'd say… north-ish. The way the path leads, however, looks sorta like it leads ta Jusenkyo…" Nodoka came back around from where she was about to choke the honorless b*st*rd (Ryoga) and joined in on the video. "Well that's a nice way to kill six hours. The problem? Well, uh.. we… kinda coulda used those six hours. I could use some food right now myself."

"Sorry, but from dragging us out here like that, I don't think we had the time to make lunch." Takeshi sheepishly took out the Ice Cream, spoons and bowls that he'd stored in hammerspace for such an emergency. "Mint chocolate chip or chocolate chip on chocolate cookie dough chocolate ice cream with hot chocolate fudge on top?" Everyone laughed, leaving Takeshi confused as to why they were laughing. "I think that the second one has too much chocolate, Takeshi!"

"There is no such thing as too much chocolate!"

* * *

Yadda, yadda, REVIEW! C'mon, I'm serious! I really want some reviews! Also, please check out may other FanFiction- that one could use a few reviews. Well, gotta go now! I hope you liked it! If not… Oh well. **(P.S.- There is a Poll on my Profile that I REALLY need people's opinions on. Please vote!)**

~D-Jumper


	6. 1st day, Part 2, 206 Hours Remain,

"**Goodbye… Akane."**

**Chapter 6: 1****st**** day Part 2**

**206 Hours remain.**

Ok, I will probably start slowing down a lot more in my updates if this luck goes on for awhile. Sorry… D-Jumper out. I'll try to update soon, though!

* * *

Disclaimer: Errm… I don't own Ranma½. I do, however, own two cartons of chocolate chip on chocolate cookie dough chocolate ice cream with hot chocolate fudge on top. Yum…

P.S.-I'M NOT TOTALLY PLASTERED ON CEMENT! Wait… Err, I think I'm being too literal.

Summary: Ranma's never really been unfazed by Akane's insults, but this is past fazed. Suddenly Akane finds herself chasing after an extremely depressed Ranma, and trying to fix this mess while doing so. RAxAK

Warning: may be OOC. Ranma and Akane, my favorite Ranma½ pairing. You have no idea how long I've wanted to write this, and I'm throwing in my own character for fun… also, I just realized that it would be very hard otherwise.

"No Comment." Speech.

-Mmm… Strawberries- HUH?! Ichigo and Rukia, Please gimme back my Strawberries before I accidentally-on-purpose dye your hair pink, tie you to chairs, and force you to watch all those horrible, mind-scarring commercials like "In The Night Garden." Brr. THERAPIST!- Chinese.

'…I want a break, and I want breakfast' Thoughts.

[K, I'm tired of Techno stopping me from giving Ryoga what's coming to him. Grr… Pig-boy must die.] Chinese thoughts.

[Insert long line here]

Chapter Summary- Ryoga is quickly sent off to look for food by Takeshi, getting him lost- followed by an attack from Shampoo. Ranma's destination is revealed… Or at least that's what I'm planning.

* * *

Town that was burnt to the ground-

2:04 P.M-

"So… um, Mother Saotome, d-do you think that I sh-should stay away from R-Ranma?" Akane was still very afraid of Nodoka's answer, as she felt a longing to be beside Ranma- But Akane also felt that the best that she could hope for, would be that Nodoka would at least let her stay in touch with Ranma.

What Nodoka said next, however, was quite different from what she expected. "If you care enough for my son, that you are doing this for his sake- then you are definitely welcome to stay with him." Akane smiled at the words of the older woman, receiving an approving gesture in return.

"I wonder where Takeshi is… I haven't seen him for a while…" Akane slowly got up and looked around, hoping that he didn't have the idea to go somewhere with Ryoga. "Huh… I guess that I'm gonna have to find him."

"If you're wondering where Takeshi is, look behind you." Kasumi felt good for relieving the worry slowly surfacing on Akane's face… Or maybe it was the lingering taste of ice cream… Probably both- but mostly the former. Akane turned around- to find Takeshi lying on a nearby patch of grass, the fudgey ice cream on the majority of his face obvious, to the point of not wanting to believe it. Slowly avoiding the lightly snoring, ice-cream-covered portion of the head, Akane delivered a blow that would wake anyone up…

If it wasn't for the fact that the only part of his head that **wasn't **covered in dairy sweetness, was his left earlobe. (Yeah, he likes ice cream THAT much.)

Akane pulled on the earlobe, tried to light it on fire, and even sprinkled ashes over Takeshi's nose- no progress. Giving up on the head, Akane picked up his right hand by the wrist to ensure that he wouldn't accidentally smear her only set of clothes with cow byproduct when she malleted him- only to have him subconsciously jerk his hand free, roll over to the left, quickly shift into a standing position, and pirouette on the spot, turning to face his attacker. Then he woke up completely. "Huh? Akane? Something wrong? And… why are you looking at me like that?"

"…How did you… wow." Akane simply stared at Takeshi with an amazed expression. "…You touched my wrist, arm, or hand, didn't you?" Akane nodded, then Takeshi momentarily looked at his arms, before smiling and continuing, "…Probably the wrist."

"How did-" Akane was quickly cut off by Takeshi, saying, "I had to- otherwise someone," Takeshi quickly thought of Meta, before continuing, "Would have found out if the "Hand in a bowl of warm water" trick actually works." Of course, Ryoga (Who was sleeping with an extremely heavy weight 90˚ to where his head would be if he shot straight up) shot straight up within 2 minutes of the conversation, and quickly screamed out a cry of agony. (Thus enforcing the fact that all men are sensitive. In more ways than one.)

* * *

Clearing-

3:11 P.M-

The first thing Ryoga saw was Takeshi singing along to "Still Alive" by Ellen McLain, and humming at the parts without lines. The first thing he did was tell him to shut up. The last thing he saw was fist. "Nobody tells me to stop enjoying my music but me, and my iPod battery." When Takeshi left the room, you could practically see the steam rising from his head… actually, a little more and you **would** have been able to see steam rising off his head.

'_Argh! Dang! I gotta get rid of Ryoga now! We'll never make progress at this rate!' _And with that, Takeshi turned around and splashed Ryoga lightly, turning him into an ever-fitting pig. Takeshi cautiously lit a fire, brought some water to a boil, and dropped Ryoga into the water, walking a few paces away as he did so. "AAARRGGHH! Are you trying to KILL me?"

Takeshi paused, taking the time to do a wave-ish motion with a piece of pork on a stick and then hold it into the fire, "Well… I do like pork…" oblivious to the look of impending doom on Ryoga's face, Takeshi simply started rotating the pork and continued, "You, however, are obviously a person. And I'm obviously not a cannibal. Besides, you'd taste terrible."

"Give me a straight answer!" Ryoga slowly approached Takeshi, before his response. "No, I'm not tryin' to kill ya. Although that would be a good bonus…" Ryoga's eye twitched for a moment.

"I wonder what Akane would say if we could find some truffles…" Takeshi mumbled this in a noticeable volume, before continuing, "Yo, Ryoga, do you think you could go get-" Ryoga was already gone, leaving Takeshi conversing with a tree. "…Some?"

Takeshi sighed and mumbled, "Well, now he won't have Akane to protect him from Ranma's Anti-Perv system… or is it Anti-Guy-Who-Doesn't-Tell-Akane-That-He-Turns-Into-A-Pig? Hmm…" As Takeshi returned to where everyone else was.

* * *

You know… the ruins?-

3:49 P.M-

"…Now… how do we catch up?" Akane was referring to Ranma, who was probably already two days ahead of them. Nodoka slowly responded, "Well, my son most likely went through a route he is familiar with, so he probably went through-"

"The cheapest path possible, considering that Genma Saotome brought him here." All eyes turned to Takeshi, and he- due to their eyes looking at him- slowly turned to Akane, motioning to her to come with him. "Takeshi wants to tell me something, or show me something, so I'll be gone for a moment, 'kay?"

The two family matriarchs nodded, and began conversing amongst themselves.

* * *

Abandoned warehouse-

4:01 P.M-

Takeshi slowly led Akane inside and sat down, actually managing a serious look. "Akane. What I am about to tell you cannot be blamed on Ranma. Do you understand?" Akane got a small shiver out of his look, and the emphasis placed on the word "cannot" caused her to worry. _'Did Ranma hide something from me? Is Takeshi gonna tell me his reason for hitting Ryoga? I wonder…'_ Slowly, Akane nodded, and Takeshi began. "You know about how Ranma is always "picking" on P-Chan?" Akane nodded, taking note of the fact that Takeshi practically spoke through gritted teeth upon saying P-Chan.

"Well, he has a very good reason to. One that he is bound by his honour as a martial artist not to reveal. He tries to be unlike Genma Saotome in as many ways possible- and boy, did he succeed in this one." Akane was feeling a slight hint of dread in her heart, and took a deep breath to try and shake it off. "I think that I'm trying to stall the point, so let me sum it up for you. Ryoga is P-Chan." Akane took a moment to let these words sink in, not really feeling awake. _'Ryoga is...P-Chan?' _Akane slowly began feeling a deep sense of hatred and betrayal towards Ryoga, although the sense of sadness and remorse over not having listened to Ranma quickly overpowered that. _'There were so many hints… and I thought of all of them as Ranma picking on P-Ch- I mean, Ryo- I mean __Him__.'_

Takeshi shook Akane quickly to get her glazed eyes to clear up, eventually taking out that bucket from chapter four and pouring it all over Akane, who instinctively became alert. "Yeah, see, this is important. Your eyes were as glazed as donuts, and even shaking you didn't help. So… Ranma could've just told you- but I think that he thought that doing that would set him on the track to become like Genma is now. So he began dropping hints about the coward instead. Of course, we know what you thought about those."

Akane slowly hung her head and nodded, feeling worse than she had felt a moment ago. Takeshi, being emotionally sensitive, quickly began to try and cheer her up, "Hey, hey, I'm not tryin' to make you feel bad! Seriously, you had no real pieces of the puzzle to put together, and I'm sure that Ranma knows that- besides, you know that he won't hold it against you!" after a while, they calmed down. "That was the end of my explanation, anyways." Takeshi mumbled as he got up, and was about to leave with Akane- before an ever-familiar explosion brutally murdered the wall to the left of the door.

"Violent girl not good for Airen! Airen need Shampoo too-too good noodles and love! Akane go bye-bye so Airen be free!" Shampoo began attacking Akane with a kick aimed for the chest, but Akane side-stepped and used Shampoo's forward momentum to slam her into the ground, leaving her unconscious. "…Akane…RUN!!!" Taking Akane by the hand, Takeshi ran out of the warehouse,-

* * *

The ruins-

6:34 P.M-

-grabbed onto Kasumi once he got out, and ran into Nodoka, thus leaving Takeshi running with a comically placed Nodoka on his chest, plastered there by the air pressure.

* * *

Five days away from Jusenkyo-

6:36 P.M-

Ranma wearily unstrapped the Saotome family blade from his back and rested against a lone tree. "I wonder…" Ranma slowly recalled Akane's words from the distant and not-so-distant past. "…If I would at least be a bit less repulsive without my curse…" after an hour of thinking, and potion spreading, He sadly and resignedly responded to his own question, "No. I'd be a freak either way… maybe I could at least show Akane that I'm not enjoying any of the male attention to my cursed form, though… It's worth a try." Sighing, Ranma gathered his bearings and continued on to Jusenkyo, the small and salty drops of water being the only evidence that Ranma Saotome of the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling, and Fiancé to Akane Tendo was ever there.

* * *

Hokkaido-

7:12 P.M-

After they were far enough away from the town, Takeshi stopped, leaving his state of panic. As everyone dropped to the ground, Takeshi wearily took out a bottle full of a strange blue substance, and downed half of it. "Anyone want some?" they all backed away from the blue… stuff… "Huh. That guy at the Hyrule bazaar wasn't wrong when he said that this stuff cures all that ails ya."

"I'm pretty sure that it **causes** all that ails you, Takeshi." Slowly, Akane watched Takeshi's face darken until it was ebony-black dark. "T-Takeshi?" Takeshi very grumpily responded-

"It tastes like Lychees. Bleugh!" When they fell asleep not long after, Takeshi shifted a bit and mumbled his hatred of Brussel Sprout Ice Cream.

* * *

Betcha didn't see that last part coming. Please review! Come on, it's chapter six and I've been working hard on **getting** to do it, so imagine how difficult actually writing the chapter was. Quite. Please vote on the poll on my profile, as I am in desperate need of people's opinions. D-Jumper Out. Oh, and take this complementary jumbo breaded torpedo shrimp. Thank you for watching.

_**New Fic!- Ask D-Jumper is up, so now is the time to ask the questions that you are too afraid to ask your mother, your imagination, or that mouldy cheese that I KNOW is under your bed. Ask now, and receive a free response!**_


	7. Dawn of the 2nd day, 195 hours remain,

"**Goodbye… Akane."**

**Chapter 6: Dawn of the 2****nd**** Day**

**195 Hours remain.**

Yeah, see, the reason that this is taking so long is part inconvenience, and part laziness. Hey, listen, I'm really sorry. D-Jumper out… side.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma½, no matter how many people trying to sell me Brussel Sprout Ice cream say I will if I buy some poison. ( BS Ice cream) I do, however, own muffins.

P.S.-I'M NOT SMOKING WEED! Smoked oysters taste much better.

Summary: Ranma's never really been unfazed by Akane's insults, but this is past fazed. Suddenly Akane finds herself chasing after an extremely depressed Ranma, and trying to fix some messes while doing so. RAxAK.

Warning: may be OOC. Ranma and Akane, my favorite Ranma½ pairing. You have no idea how long I've wanted to write this, and I'm throwing in my own character for fun… also, I just realized that it would be very hard otherwise.

"Still No Comment." Speech.

-71.- Chinese.

'Head-on, apply directly to the forehead.' Thoughts.

[This space purposely left blank.] Chinese thoughts.

[Insert long line here]

Chapter Summary- They wake up, and move onward, Takeshi trying to make sure that they at least stay on course. Of course, another so-called "Fiancée" will probably come along and screw something up. I wonder how Nabiki's doing…

* * *

Hokkaido-

1:13 A.M-

Takeshi groaned slightly as he woke up from a nightmare in which donuts no longer existed. "Urngh… five more minutes…" Takeshi groaned as he slowly stood up from his *Lovely* little grass bed and stretched a bit, "Man, a dream in which people are pushin' Brussel sprout flavored ice cream into my mouth, without donuts to get rid of the taste does not make for a good- middle of the night?" Takeshi looked at the dark and starry sky, then checked his watch. "One fifteen in the morning… well, I give up on goin' back to sleep." Takeshi sighed, then looked over at Akane, Kasumi and Nodoka, all of whom were sleeping peacefully on the grass on top of the hill… except for Akane, who was looking slightly sweaty. "…Hm." Takeshi walked over to Akane and crouched down, looking slightly like a certain sweets-loving detective. "…Geddaweyreoga…ungh…" Akane mumbled in her sleep, tossing slightly, "…?" leaving one confused Takeshi.

* * *

_Akane's second dream-_

_Akane was walking towards Ryoga, who was five metres away from her, and although her mind and heart screamed to run away, her body moved towards Ryoga as if it was doing so on it's own. __**'No…Why am I moving towards him?' **__Akane very agonizingly willed herself to stop, maintaining the position even through the mental pain that was caused by doing so. "What's wrong Akane? Are you stuck?" Although Ryoga looked perfectly normal, his voice was distorted to the point of being scary. "Don't worry, I'm coming." Ryoga slowly began walking over to Akane, who could still manage no more than a simple standing position. "N-No…G-Get away Ryoga… G-Go away…" Akane watched helplessly as Ryoga continued walking towards her._

"_Akane, what's wrong? Are you sick?" The distortion of his voice made it sound haunting and mocking, which only fueled Akane's desire to get away from him. Slowly, Akane managed the will to step back, feeling as though her legs weighed a hundred pounds each, respectively. Akane managed to croak out, "Ryoga…I don't…want… you… near me…," despite her throat feeling like cotton balls were wedged in it. "I bet Ranma is making you say that, right?" Akane attempted to retort, but her voice died out before she could, as if by magic. "I'll kill him!" The distortion was making his voice sound diabolical and disturbing, and as Akane's feet grinded to a halt, she thought out, __**'Ranma… Where are y-you… P-Please… help me… my body isn't…' **_

"_Somethin' wrong, 'Kane?" Came the soft whisper of Ranma Saotome behind her, and- gathering the strength to turn her head,- she turned away from Ryoga for a moment to look at Ranma, who was sitting down and looking out a window that seemed to be hanging in midair with a blank stare. Akane's voice came out in segments, "Ran-ma, Pl-ease hel-p me," which was a miracle in itself that she could talk at all. Ranma, however, simply turned his head to look at her, his teary steel-blue eyes seemingly piercing her very soul through her own amber-brown eyes. Ranma's response came, "You want me ta help you?" soft, yet cold, making Akane's own eyes turn a bit watery. "Pl-ease." Came Akane's response, laced with desperation. He simply replied, "I've tried ta help you lotsa times before with Ryoga. But you would just mallet me, yell at me, or cause some kinda bodily harm whenever I tried ta show you. Why should I help you now?" An answer that cut Akane deep, and made her hang her head in guilt and silent agreement. __**'Why should he help me when I've hurt him for trying so many times before? Ranma, I…I…'**_

"_Akane, what's wrong? Is Ranma there? Oh, no need to protect him now Akane, I'm here!" Now cornered, Akane watched in terror as Ryoga ran towards Ranma, with his belt on hand. Feeling a hold on her break, Akane ran towards Ryoga, fists at the ready…

* * *

_

Hokkaido-

1:24 A.M-

…And punched Takeshi square in the face. Takeshi fell (actually sorta rolled) over backwards, clutched at his face in pain, and yelled in agony. After a few minutes, when the agonizingly painful pain had dullened enough to enable movement that only caused severely unbearable pain, Takeshi slowly shifted into a sitting position facing Akane, and said, "That fist o' your's should be considered a public menace, Akane. I still need to put my nose back where it should be. Y'know, around the front of my face?" Kasumi and Nodoka couldn't help but wake up to Takeshi's cry, and his yelps of movement, so they went to check up on him, to find Takeshi with an obviously painful fist-shaped mark, and Akane looking sheepish. Then they realized that it was still the middle of the night. Nodoka looked over the situation and asked, "Would you care to explain why you two are awake in the middle of the night, Takeshi?" Takeshi turned his head in surprise, a crack emanating from his neck, then fainted from an overload of pain. Stupid weak human necks. Ow.

* * *

-Ten minutes later-

Takeshi's Point of View-

'_Ugh… jeez… I feel hungry… Urgh!?! Argh, it hurts so much when I move… Did Meta go drinkin' in my body again? No… it's something else… Argh… maybe opening my eyes won't hurt... it's worth a try.' _I open my eyes, struggling to make shapes out of the silhouettes that my d*** eyes can't seem to interpret. For a moment, I don't know where I am, or what happened… then I remember. Now struggling even more, I manage to make out the face of a girl with blue-ish black hair. Akane. Then everything else clears up. Despite the pain, my hand slowly makes its way to the part of my chest where the Dimensional Armorsuit lays dormant, and activates it. Now I reach for the portion of my armor on my abdomen and press a small pad, dulling the pain to near nonexistence. _'Well, that was certainly an ordeal that I never, ever, ever, ever, ever… ever, ever want to go through again. Ever.'

* * *

_

Universal Point of view-

Akane, Nodoka and Kasumi slowly stepped back upon seeing the unusual looking armor appear, too startled to move. When Takeshi fully opened his eyes, and allowed sound to once again course through his ears, he noticed the startled look on Nodoka's face, (…Say what?) who's expression was the most obvious of the three. Takeshi slowly got up, groaning, "Nngh," And rubbing his neck a bit. He rubbed a bit more and asked, "So… what's with the look?"

"Um… Takeshi, I thought you said that you only use your armor when you're fighting…" Akane said, pointing to the obviously quite shiny-in-the-light armor that Takeshi was sporting. He stared at her like she was mad, and responded, "That's right, and this was a battle against unconsciousness. And perhaps pain," before looking around and continuing, "Well, I'm gonna need to keep my armor active for a while- deal with it- and I'm not gonna be able to go back to sleep, soo… let's go!" Akane shook her head and responded, "Takeshi, you might not be able to go back to sleep, but we really need our sleep to keep our energy up. I'm sorry, really, but you'll just have to wait." At this, Takeshi put on puppy dog eyes and mimicked a whiny eight-year-old, saying, "Awww, bu-bu-but Ranma's gonna kill himself an' stuff… and stuff…" Sighing, Akane gave in, saying, "Alright, alright, we're coming, although if anything, more for Ranma's sake than yours, Takeshi."

"Whoohoo! Yay!"

* * *

Nerima-

Tendo household-

1:45 A.M-

Nabiki woke up with gusto, giving up on sleeping with three household members missing. _'Where are they? It's been a day since Akane, Ranma and Kasumi went missing… maybe they eloped… but then why would Kasumi come along?'_ Feeling the irritation at not being able to solve the puzzle overtake her, she walked through the hall, down the stairs, and onto the front porch. Sighing, Nabiki sat down and pondered over the solution, her heart unknowingly melting. Very slowly. Giving up for the moment, she looked over the grassy lawn, trying to reach a state of serenity. Suddenly, a small gleam given off by the moonlight caught her eye, and, curiosity piqued, Nabiki got up and walked over to the object of interest. Upon reaching said object, she found that it was a small, black and polished case for a ring of sorts. Nabiki raised her eyebrow, and expectantly opened the case-ey thing. She wasn't disappointed, as there was a beautiful diamond professionally set in amber, its ever-melancholy gleam present in the moonlight. _'W-whoa… this could be worth so much…'_ then her conscience finally took a stand, _'No… Akane… Akane and Ranma… they need this much more than I do… but if they're dead, it's mine.'_ Her conscience consigned to this resolution and calmed down. Nabiki soon returned to bed, her need of sleep overpowering her discomfort.

* * *

Four and a half days away from Jusenkyo-

2:47 P.M-

Ranma was asleep, snoring lightly. Although his sleep was not peaceful in any way, from what can be interpreted of Ranma's continued tossing and sweating…

* * *

_Ranma's Dream- (Wow, there seems to be a lot of dream sequence writing.)_

_Ranma choked out, "A-Akane… please… no…," as Akane approached him menacingly, an enraged look plastered on her face, and a sheathed tantö on her side. "You…You…" Akane sputtered accusingly, pointing at Ranma, "You knew… you knew about Ryoga… and you never told me!" Ranma took a step back, oblivious to the fact that there was a cliff behind him, stuttering, "B-But I took- I was b-bound by- I didn't know he w-would-" He was cut off by Akane, harshly retorting, "You took what? Enjoyment in seeing him cuddle with me?" Now it was Ranma's turn to get angry, saying, "Akane, you of all people should know that I wasn't happy at all to see Ryoga get all warm an' cozy with ya! Why else was I "picking" on him?" For a moment, she was silent, unable to think of a retort, before finally retorting, "To quote, 'It was this unfathomable longing of the soul to vex itself-to offer violence to its own nature-to do wrong for wrong's sake only-that urged me to continue and finally to consummate the injury I had inflicted upon the unoffending brute.' Similarly, you may have simply done it to do evil." For Ranma, the accusation itself wounded him deep inside, and the fact that it was she who dealt the accusation proved too much for his already weary mind, for who could take such an accusation from their most loved one without indescribable wounds to their very soul? Ranma tipped backwards in his petrified depression, falling from the unseen cliff…

* * *

_

Four and a half days away from Jusenkyo-

4:01 A.M-

Ranma awoke with a jump, struggling for air in his frightened state, before settling down a bit. Wearily, Ranma reached out and grabbed the Saotome family blade, his bearings, and his bundle of spare clothes. Before getting up and moving onward, he thought, _'Akane, if you're lucky enough, you'll never hafta see me again… you, and everyone else, will finally be able to move onto better lives…' _and with that, he left. And so did the spirit of Techno, hiding in the shadows. Techno quickly began traveling to where Takeshi was, with a lot to tell him. Two hours of continuous travel sucks.

* * *

…Somewhere-

4:04 A.M-

"Takeshi, are you sure that you know where you're going?" Akane asked in a weary tone, obviously tired from their two-hour-long walk. They'd been walking for two hours without stopping, and were now on a dirt path just outside of a small town, with a small farm to their left, and another path to their right. Dazed, he responded, "Uh, yeah, yeah, o' course." Two minutes later, when he actually started paying attention, he changed his answer, "Um, no, not really," looking very sheepish. Then the weirdest thing happened… they bumped into Dr. Tofu. Literally. Although both groups were knocked back, Tofu had the misfortune of sidestepping and hitting the fence surrounding the farm… right in the ribs. He fainted from the fence hitting a knockout pressure point in one of the ridges between the upper ribs. Getting up, Takeshi stated, "Yeah, more painful than being forced to eat brussel sprouts and lychees at the same time, in the same mouthful." Slowly, they moved over to Tofu, who looked pretty healthy, save for the fact that he was unconscious. Suddenly, Takeshi tackled Nodoka and Akane, driving them to the ground with a loud thump. Startled, Akane fumed, "Takeshi, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Akane stopped, however, when Nodoka tapped her shoulder to point out something on the floor beside them. It was a mace. Beach-ball-ish.

* * *

It's about time that I post up a chapter! Oh, and by the way, If you don't Review This chapter, then the next update is not going to be on express order, that much I'll say. Yes, I am a blackmailing jerk. No, not really. I will get to it soon if you review this chapter, but if you don't, two things will happen; It will take a lot longer to post my next chapter, and I will spontaneously combust. Thank you. D-Jumper out. **_*Boooom!*_**


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